Multi-level premise mapping with camera drone

Abstract

A drone is used to map difficult transition spaces within buildings such as staircases between different levels of a multi-level building. The mapping technique used may vary based on the type of building space. For instance, for linear staircases, an orthogonal trajectory path or a smooth trajectory path may be used to map the transition space. The orthogonal trajectory path and the smooth trajectory path may be derived, at least in part, on initial and terminating points provided by a user. For circular staircases, a user may move the drone from the initial point to the terminating point, and the drone may determine a trajectory path based on the user's movement of the drone from the initial point to the terminating point.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A system comprising:
 a drone comprising at least one sensor; and 
 one or more processors and one or more storage devices storing instructions that are operable, when executed by the one or more processors, to cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising:
 receiving data indicative of an instruction to obtain mapping data between an initial point on one level of a building and a terminating point on a second level different than the one level of the building, a path between the initial point and the terminating point comprising a curved staircase having a plurality of horizontal front edges including a first horizontal front edge that is not parallel to a second horizontal front edge in the curved staircase, wherein the data indicative of the instruction to obtain the mapping data between the initial point and the terminating point was generated from input for a graphical user interface; 
 detecting, using the at least one sensor and from the plurality of horizontal front edges and after the drone aligned a horizontal orientation of the drone with the first horizontal front edge, the second horizontal front edge that is not parallel to the first horizontal front edge in the curved staircase; 
 controlling, using the data from the detection of the second horizontal front edge, a position and the horizontal orientation of the drone such that a heading direction of the drone is substantially perpendicular to the second horizontal front edge in the curved staircase; 
 capturing, when the drone is traversing at least a portion of the curved staircase while moving from the initial point to the terminating point, the mapping data comprising sensor data from the at least one sensor; and 
 storing the mapping data in memory for use after the drone terminates capturing of the mapping data when a terminating criterion is satisfied. 
 
 
     
     
       2. The system of  claim 1 , wherein the path was selected as a trajectory path specified for a type of building space being mapped and that is stored in a memory of the system. 
     
     
       3. The system of  claim 1 , wherein:
 the path is a smooth trajectory path. 
 
     
     
       4. The system of  claim 1 , wherein detecting the second horizontal front edge in the curved staircase using the at least one sensor comprises:
 detecting the second horizontal front edge, an outer edge, and an inner edge of a corresponding step in the curved staircase, the second horizontal front edge extending between the inner edge and the outer edge. 
 
     
     
       5. The system of  claim 1 , wherein the operations comprise:
 obtaining real-time data indicative of environmental conditions along the path and an object that is present in the path; and 
 controlling the drone to avoid a collision with the object. 
 
     
     
       6. The system of  claim 1 , the operations comprise:
 determining that the drone is located at the terminating point; and 
 terminating the capturing of the mapping data in response to determining that the drone is located at the terminating point. 
 
     
     
       7. A computer-implemented method, comprising:
 receiving data indicative of an instruction to obtain mapping data between an initial point on one level of a building and a terminating point on a second level different than the one level of the building, a path between the initial point and the terminating point comprising a curved staircase having a plurality of horizontal front edges including a first horizontal front edge that is not parallel to a second horizontal front edge in the curved staircase, wherein the data indicative of the instruction to obtain the mapping data between the initial point and the terminating point was generated from input for a graphical user interface; 
 detecting, using at least one sensor and from the plurality of horizontal front edges and after a drone aligned a horizontal orientation of the drone with the first horizontal front edge, the second horizontal front edge that is not parallel to the first horizontal front edge in the curved staircase; 
 controlling, using the data from the detection of the second horizontal front edge, a position and the horizontal orientation of the drone such that a heading direction of the drone is substantially perpendicular to the second horizontal front edge in the curved staircase; 
 capturing, when the drone is traversing at least a portion of the curved staircase while moving from the initial point to the terminating point, the mapping data comprising sensor data from the at least one sensor; and 
 storing the mapping data in memory for use after the drone terminates capturing of the mapping data when a terminating criterion is satisfied. 
 
     
     
       8. The computer-implemented method of  claim 7 , wherein the path was selected as a trajectory path specified for a type of building space being mapped and that is stored in a memory of a system. 
     
     
       9. The computer-implemented method of  claim 7 , wherein:
 the path is a smooth trajectory path. 
 
     
     
       10. The computer-implemented method of  claim 7 , detecting the second horizontal front edge in the curved staircase using the at least one sensor comprises:
 detecting the second horizontal front edge, an outer edge, and an inner edge of a corresponding step in the curved staircase, the second horizontal front edge extending between the inner edge and the outer edge. 
 
     
     
       11. The computer-implemented method of  claim 7 , comprising:
 obtaining real-time data indicative of environmental conditions along the path and an object that is present in the path; and 
 controlling the drone to avoid a collision with the object. 
 
     
     
       12. The computer-implemented method of  claim 7 , comprising:
 determining that the drone is located at the terminating point; and 
 terminating the capturing of the mapping data in response to determining that the drone is located at the terminating point. 
 
     
     
       13. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions, which, when executed by one or more computer processors, cause the one or more computer processors to perform operations comprising:
 receiving data indicative of an instruction to obtain mapping data between an initial point on one level of a building and a terminating point on a second level different than the one level of the building, a path between the initial point and the terminating point comprising a curved staircase having a plurality of horizontal front edges including a first horizontal front edge that is not parallel to a second horizontal front edge in the curved staircase, wherein the data indicative of the instruction to obtain the mapping data between the initial point and the terminating point was generated from input for a graphical user interface; 
 detecting, from the plurality of horizontal front edges and after a drone aligned a horizontal orientation of the drone with the first horizontal front edge, the second horizontal front edge in the curved staircase using at least one sensor, wherein the detecting comprising:
 detecting the second horizontal front edge, an outer edge, and an inner edge of a corresponding step in the curved staircase, the second horizontal front edge extending between the inner edge and the outer edge; 
 
 controlling, using the data from the detection of the second horizontal front edge, a position and the horizontal orientation of the drone such that a heading direction of the drone is substantially perpendicular to the second horizontal front edge in the curved staircase; 
 capturing, when the drone is traversing at least a portion of the curved staircase while moving from the initial point to the terminating point, the mapping data comprising sensor data from the at least one sensor; and 
 storing the mapping data in memory for use after the drone terminates capturing of the mapping data when a terminating criterion is satisfied. 
 
     
     
       14. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of  claim 13 , wherein:
 the path is a smooth trajectory path. 
 
     
     
       15. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of  claim 13 , wherein the operations comprise:
 obtaining real-time data indicative of environmental conditions along the path and an object that is present in the path; and 
 controlling the drone to avoid a collision with the object. 
 
     
     
       16. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of  claim 13 , the operations comprise:
 determining that the drone is located at the terminating point; and 
 terminating the capturing of the mapping data in response to determining that the drone is located at the terminating point.